Minority groups fear future with Trump

Twenty-one days ago, the American political system was flipped on its head as Donald J. Trump was elected to become the 45th president of the United States, in one of the most shocking elections in history.

While some called his election a restoration of hope, those who oppose it are still adjusting. Protests are happening throughout the country with some saying they refuse to claim Trump as their president.

Amanda Scharnweber, a student activities assistant in the Department of Student Life, said she is disappointed with the results. She said she hopes first-time voters are not turned away from voting if they voted for Hillary Clinton, saw her win the national popular vote but lose in the Electoral College.

“I am worried about the tension that is building in our country. I hope that everyone can come together to rebuild what has been broken during this whole election,” said Scharnweber. “It’s upsetting. I wake up every morning with a gut ache, especially when I watch the news.”

There has been talk about Donald Trump defunding Planned Parenthood. Ruth Lednicer, director of media and communications for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, fears the possibility of stop-and-frisk policies, immediate deportation of immigrants, borders closed to Muslims and discrimination against LGBT communities and disabled people. Although the Trump administration’s plans have not been announced, Lednicer said much of the rhetoric used in the last several months has created a frighteningly more dangerous America for people of color.

“We are worried for, but will not stop fighting for, all our communities and our patients,” said Lednicer. “We reject this hate, and we resist the idea that this is what it means to live in America in 2016.”

Homin Jung, a Michigan State University junior, said minority groups will not be affected by the new presidency. He trusts that people elected in the House and Senate are “wise and matured enough to realize where the country is evolving and adapting to society changes.” Jung supports peaceful protests and people speaking out for what they believe in.

“I think if anyone is affected the most, it’ll be poor communities,” said Jung. “It’s all speculation and we don’t even know what will happen until he’s put into presidency.”

Some campuses, like Michigan State University, allowed students to miss class due to grievances and the Lyman Briggs College and Chemistry building even offered therapy dogs. MSU senior Gloria Yarandi thinks this was a good decision.

“Whatever works for these students is fine. I’m personally coping OK, but my roommates were yelled at and had something thrown at them by a Trump supporter, and they were shaken up after that,” said Yarandi. “People have to be accepting of everyone’s reaction to this. If someone is genuinely scared, and they feel something like therapy dogs will help, everyone needs to respect that.”

The U.S. election even had an effect internationally. Gobi Bah, a student from Gambia, says his parents called him right after the results came in.

“Even my parents were scared, and they called me to see how I was doing. America is a great country, and everyone knows what’s going on here. America is an example to all countries, and the results make the country look bad,” said Bah, a junior at MSU. “People admire that the U.S. is a democracy, but at least in my country, didn’t understand how they could’ve gotten to the two candidates they had to choose from.”

Bah said, “I’m not a citizen, I’m black and I’m Muslim, so I fit into multiple categories that Trump supporters want out of this country. I don’t actually think Trump is going to take people’s rights away. It’s some of his supporters people feel threatened by.”

Visit these websites for information on minority organizations on Michigan State’s campus.

Libbie Kahl is a student at Michigan State University in the School of Journalism who intends to graduate in 2019. Her specialization in journalism is sports reporting and she is pursuing a minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages and entrepreneurship and innovation.

A political science and journalism double major with a concentration in electronic media. Following graduation at MSU, I aspire to earn a law degree, with hopes to establish a career in both broadcast journalism and politics. I have worked at WNDU-TV as an associate producer as well as a legislative intern for State Senator John Proos.

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News and information from the Michigan State University School of Journalism. Content is produced by MSU students under the guidance of journalism faculty.

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